FAA Safety Alerts

News

The FAA has released an information for operators (InFO) message to describe various conditions that may result in the lack of functionality of traffic alert and collision avoidance systems (TCAS). In order to ensure that the transponder and TCAS equipment are operating properly, pilots must become familiar with the annunciations currently used to indicate failure or lack of functionality of these components. The InFO message recommends that operators develop aircraft specific procedures and training to maintain pilots familiarity with transponder and TCAS equipment in the aircraft they operate. For additional information, download the InFO notice.

The FAA has issued a safety alert for operators (SAFO) to remind Part 135 and 121 certificate holders of the requirement to ensure seatbelts at all seat positions visible and accessible to passengers. Federal Aviation Regulations require that the pilot in command ensure that passengers are knowledgeable about the use of seatbelts and notified when to use them. In order for this requirement to be met, all seatbelts must be visible and accessible to passengers before each flight. For additional information, view the SAFO (30 KB, PDF)

FAA Issues Additional Pre-Takeoff Safety Alert for Operators

April 26, 2007

As a result of the August 2006 airline accident in Lexington, KY where an aircraft departed from the wrong runway, the FAA issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) emphasizing the importance of developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) that enhance pre-takeoff and takeoff safety. Recently, the FAA issued an additional SAFO that provides information on how flight crews can make use of modern resources to positively confirm and cross check the takeoff runway. Flight crews, directors of operations, and trainers should establish and implement aircraft-specific SOPs that make use of all available resources to confirm the aircraft’s location at the assigned runway both before crossing the hold-short line and once again when in takeoff position. Review the SAFOs:

The FAA publishes orders, notices, saftey alerts for operators (SAFOs) and information for operations (InFOs) to provide guidance material to FAA inspectors and industry. While SAFOs are used specifically to announce safety information, the InFO messages contain valuable information for operators that should help them meet administrative requirements or certain regulatory requirements with relatively low urgency or impact in safety. The FAA intends to use the e-mail addresses provided in OpSpec A007 to distribute its publications to affected operators and FAA personnel. FAA Notice 8000.341 provides additional information for certificate holders. NBAA encourages all Part 135, 91K and 125 aircraft operators to ensure the correct e-mail addresses are current in their A007 OpSpec paragraph. For more information, download the document at:http://web.nbaa.org/public/ops/safety/n8000_341.pdf (97 KB, PDF)

The FAA has released AC 120-87A to address the use of child restraint seats (CRS) on aircraft. This advisory circular is intended to be used as a resource during the development, implementation and revision of aircraft operator procedures and programs regarding the use of CRS. It will assist aircraft operators subject to FAR Parts 91, 121, 125 and 135. The AC is part of several FAA initiatives designed to address safety concerns of the National Transportation Safety Board and to educate and inform aircraft operators, crewmembers and passengers regarding the use of CRS on aircraft in order to encourage and increase the use of approved CRS. Dowload the AC (241 KB, PDF)

The current issue of the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) publication Callback indicates that to date, more than 60 reports have been submitted to ASRS regarding deviations from the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) RNAV standard instrument departures (SIDs). Incidents described in the Callback compilation show that several crews assumed that their FMS route was okay after making a runway change; however, in actuality, the FMS had deleted the transition route that was previously loaded. Crews should be aware that all three elements of the RNAV procedure (the runway, the SID and the transition) must be reentered in the FMS following a runway change. Pilots should then crosscheck the waypoints loaded into their aircraft's FMS with the waypoints listed on the RNAV SID chart. More.

On November 30, 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a Safety Alert for Operaterators (SAFO) to raise flightcrew awareness of possible risks associated with avian influenza, the “bird flu.” The FAA SAFO provides references from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for flightcrews and those meeting passengers arriving from areas covered by the Avian Influenza travel notice, which was originally released in February 2004. The FAA recommends that crewmembers adhere to the CDC recommendations for general infection control. Review the SAFO.

The FAA released Advisory Circular 70-2: Reporting of Laser Illumination of Aircraft (217 KB, PDF) which provides information for pilots to protect themselves and report laser illumination incidents. Pilots should report such incidents to Air Traffic Control or the appropriate UNICOM frequency when in uncontrolled airspace. Pilots are also requested to submit a Laser Beam Exposure Questionnaire which can be found in the advisory circular's appendix.